Well, that was just incredible. Certainly, the game itself was a thrilling rollercoaster ride in which both sides had chances to make the scoreline closer to the amazing 5-4 game of a few years back. But coming from behind to beat Tottenham, with two wonder goals thrown in for good measure? Well, it doesn’t get any better than that.
After falling undeservedly behind to a free-kick from Gareth Bale, we went in at half-time at 0-0. Alex Hleb and Abou Diaby had both missed excellent chances, Diaby in particular somehow managing to hit the crossbar from all of six yards.
Into the second half, and when Emmanuel Adebayor blazed a chance over after a brilliant run and cut-back from Bacary Sagna, I admit that part of me was ready to accept a draw. Soon after though, Adebayor redeemed himself in the best way possible. A foul on Mathieu Flamini gave us a free-kick on the left-hand side. Cesc tried a quick through-ball, but an idiotic Spurs fan forced his way on to the pitch and ensured the free-kick (which hadn’t gone too well anyhow) would have to be retaken.
This time, it came off perfectly. A flighted ball from Cesc saw Paul Robinson charge at nothing in particular (perhaps he saw someone waving a hamburger in the crowd), and Adebayor rose highest to nod the ball in for an equaliser.
Game on. And with ten minutes to go, we got what we deserved. Cesc Fabregas broke forward, and took the kind of shot you can only take when your confidence is sky-high: he hit an absolute rocket soaring into the far top corner. Cesc is beginning to assume the goalscoring presence of Gerrard, Lampard, and Scholes, and is emerging as the driving force in this young Arsenal side. An inspiring goal from an inspirational player.
You would’ve been forgiven for thinking we couldn’t top that. But Adebayor had other ideas. In stoppage time, receiving a ball into feet from Cesc, he flipped the ball up into the air and hit a sumptuous volley into the far top corner from all of twenty yards. It was hit so beautifully I was slightly surprised it didn’t burst the net. Reminiscent of the goals scored by Didier Drogba at his peak last year, it was the kind of strike that many thought we’d never see from a player of Adebayor’s perceieved limitations.
Being there, sat right next to the Spurs fans, was hilarious. Particularly enjoyable moments including mocking their fans incorrectly celebrating a Dimitar Berbatov “goal”, seeing Berbatov tackled by Toure when past Almunia, and finally, a genuinely shocking miss from record signing Darren Bent. Singing “Channel 5” to a side perennially trapped in the UEFA Cup would’ve been funnier if they looked like they had a chance of achieving even that this year.
The gap between the sides was obvious. Watching lardy Tom Huddlestone chase Cesc Fabregas around the pitch, the mismatch became clear. They created chances but it shouldn’t be forgotten that we had both Gallas and Senderos missing, as well as a goalkeeper who is far from established as first choice.
And now we’re top. I said yesterday that if we won I’d start considering this side as title contenders, and we’ve absolutely reached that point now. Although the two consecutive games at the end of October seeing us facing Liverpool and Manchester United will provide a stronger indicator of our potential, there’s no doubt that we have the spirit and the quality to trouble anyone this season.
There is some takeovery stuff to discuss, but I’m not going to sour a day of joyful reflection on yesterday’s result.
And finally, I leave you with this. Just brilliant:
It sounds a little simplistic in that headline, but it’s something that has been brewing in my mind for some time. Our impressive start to the season has so far included just one away game – going to our neighbours when they desperately need a victory is a significant test. But if we can come away with three points, it will confirm what I’m starting to believe about this team: that they have the mental toughness to launch a sustained assault on the Premier League title.
Their ability is not in question. Toure, Fabregas and Van Persie form a spine to rival any in the division. Our passing game is second to none, and we’re starting to add a killer instinct to a side that has previously lacked obvious match-winners. The most notable example of that is Cesc, who is adding goals to a game that already possessed pretty much everything else.
The manner in which we start the game today will be crucial. It’s certain that Spurs will come at us early on. We have avoid any International hangover and get straight back into the swing of things – if we keep the ball well enough, their frantic start will prove to be their undoing as they tire of chasing us.
Looking at the team we’re likely to field, I suspect Tottenham will target the potential weak links of an out-of-position Gilberto Silva and a hurriedly-promoted Manuel Almunia. However much we might despise them, Keane and Berbatov are two of the most accomplished strikers around, and Gilberto and Almunia will need to be at their best if we’re to hold firm at the back.
With Sagna and Clichy at full-back, Aaron Lennon playing wide doesn’t worry me. I’d be far more concerned if Jol seeks to take advantage of Gilberto’s absence from midfield by dropping Lennon into the hole behind two strikers. This is where his tricky feet could cause most damage, and Mathieu Flamini will have to be alert to the any danger posed.
The rest of our midfield (Hleb, Rosicky, and Fabregas) just have to do what they do best: pass and move. As I said before, keeping the ball is the key to victory today,
Upfront, Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor have more than enough ability to cause Spurs plenty of problems. Adebayor in particular seems to have a real relish for scoring against Spurs, with three last season alone. Furthermore, an in-form Eduardo gives us a genuine option from the bench.
Spurs have spent a lot of money this Summer (making these claims by Martin Jol all the more laughable), and will be no pushover. After their terrible start to the season, they deperately need a morale-boosting victory against their biggest rivals. But if this Arsenal team perform to their potential, Spurs won’t have an answer. And if we take three points, then tomorrow you’ll hear me discussing this side as contenders in the title race.
Yesterday afternoon I managed to secure a ticket for the game. I’m ridiculously excited.
Not so long ago, being compared to Heskey and Owen would’ve been deemed an insult. The former was in International exile, regarded as a big money gamble taken by clubs trying to avoid relegation, whilst Owen’s injury enforced-absence meant him playing only a dozen games in two seasons at Newcastle. However, as I’ve watched the pair carry each other through the rehabilitation of their reputations, my mind couldn’t help but drift to two of our own strikers: Emmanuel Adebayor and Eduardo da Silva.
Owen and Heskey’s resurgence has been based upon the strength of their partnership. Together, they are worth more than the sum of their parts. In contrast, what has struck me about Arsenal’s strikers this season is the lack of understanding between our front-men. But by following England’s blueprint, could we create our own devastating front two?
Adebayor and Eduardo have more in common with Owen and Heskey than an adherence to the traditional “little and large” pairing. Whilst Heskey is undoubtedly superior to Adebayor in the air, the Togolese shares his power and physique. Indeed, he is more able than Heskey when recieving the ball into feet, as well as providing an option with his pace in-behind. But his primary function remains the same: Adebayor is a fulcrum in the team; a target you can hit from any distance who can retain possession and allow runners to meet the second ball.
One of those runners could be Eduardo. In the same way that Owen feeds off the scraps provided by Heskey’s hard work, Da Silva could prove the perfect parasitic foil for Adebayor. Like Owen, the Croatian has an innate awareness of his position in the penalty box, and the clinical finishing to take advantage of his spacial intelligence. He is not the second top goal-scorer in the Euro 2008 Qualifiers without reason. Even his first goal for the club, an outstretched volley against Sparta Prage, exhibited a freakish degree of dexterity. Eduardo has Owen’s goalscoring potential without the years of injuries that have taken away the Englishman’s blistering pace. Like Freddie Ljungberg in his prime, Eduardo is lightening over the crucial five metres that enables him to escape from defenders and find space in the box.
On paper, it’s an ideal pairing. But, just as Heskey & Owen put Wayne Rooney in the shade, playing Edu & Ade would raise the difficult question of what to do with arguably our most blisteringly talented player: Robin van Persie. The Dutchman’s brilliance on the ball is tempered by a tendency to drift in out of games. However, his occasionally inadequate general play is so often punctuated by moments of genius that it almost justifies his inclusion ahead of Eduardo or Adebayor.
It’s a difficult one for Arsene, but watching England this week may have shown him that sometimes it’s better to go with the most effective partnership rather than the most talented individuals.
As it is, I expect Adebayor and Van Persie to start tomorrow’s North London derby. You can hear me discussing this and other things in this week’s arsecast. Arseblogger was ill and I was exhausted, so I have no idea how it’ll sound to the rest of the world.
Bacary Sagna is fit to return at right-back but William Gallas, Emmanuel Eboue and Jens Lehmann all miss out. Gallas’ absence, combined with a suspension for Philippe Senderos, leave us very light at the back. Gilberto only returns from a Brazilian get together today, and if he is not up to it we may have to field Justin Hoyte or (gulp) Alex Song at centre-half. Against Dimitar Berbatov. Icky.
I had a nightmare we lost to Tottenham. It was genuinely quite frightening. This cannot be allowed to happen, however much I would enjoy my apparent powers of clairvoyance.
Finally, if you missed all the stuff about the new comments, read yesterday’s blog. There’s still a fair bit of fiddling going on with it, so ignore anything crazy that happens and use the link on the homepage to access them. Ta.
After the latest round of internationals, I can’t seem to find a single story about an Arsenal player getting injured. This, surely, is simply too good to be true. Perhaps in the changing room after Holland’s disappointing 1-0 win over Albania, a furious row ended in Marco van Basten removing Robin van Persie’s legs with a hacksaw.
Understandably, if this has happened, the Dutch are still covering it up. I’d expect a press conference later today on the matter.
Eduardo da Silva grabbed another poacher’s goal in Croatia’s six nil win over Andorra. Click here for a video of Croatia playing against what appears to be a pub side cunningly disguised as an International football team.
Stuart Pearce is showing a degree of patience and understanding with Theo Walcott that has so far been denied him by Premiership defenders. Worryingly, he was withdrawn after less than an hour of both U21 games this week after failing to make an impact. Not great. But then at least he’ll be fresh for the weekend…
As you’ve probably noticed, we’ve got a new comments system in place: The Guns. For this we owe everything to Tom from arseblog, whose ingenious “arses” system has been craftily adapted for our own needs. There’s still a bit of tweaking to do, but the new comments are a marked improvement on the old one.
There are two main benefits: first of all, the fact that each gun has a bit of code at the bottom that is unique to your location. For example, when I’m at work, mine is 3fd90. Granted, you’ll have a different number at home, but it makes impersonating people nigh impossible.
Secondly, the old comments were killing the server. And these ones won’t.
It’s also far easier for me to ban people on this system, and it goes without saying I expect respect for others and a degree of common decency. I’m not going to spell out any “Rules”, but if anyone crosses the line they’ll know about it pretty quickly.
Let me tell you about some of the features of the new system, starting with the buttons at the top of the comments:
GUN: Clicking this immediately takes you to the bottom of the comments and allows you to post one yourself. Blog: Self-explanatory – this takes you through to the homepage. Stealth Guns: This takes you to a plain text version of the page – ideal for work, where no-one will be able to tell you’re wasting time on my website. FRESH GUNS: Simply reloads the page and updates any new comments.
This will all be familiar to anyone who uses the arseblog arses, but it’s worth explaining for those who aren’t.
At the moment, the best way to reach the guns is to go to the homepage and click the link beneath the post title (this link may work, but it will open in a full-screen and there may be various other issues. Truth is, I’m not sure yet. Just go to the hompage, you lazy so-and-sos). Within a couple of days there will be a link to the guns at the bottom of each post, which will be more convenient for everyone. Like I say, it’s early days.
Speaking of the old comments, they’re all still there. Just click the title of a post and scroll down to read all the rubbish you’ve chatted in the past.
Enjoy yourselves. After doing no real work all week, I have until 5.30pm Friday to do all the stuff I should’ve done on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, as well as all the stuff they’ll give me to do today and tomorrow. It should be hugely entertaining.
Whatever Eduardo da Silva achieves during his career at Arsenal, it’s highly unlikely he’ll ever surpass the level of adulation he is currently the subject of in Croatia. After bagging both goals in a 2-0 win over Estonia, national coach Slaven Bilic was fairly unequivocal in his assessment of the Brazilian-born striker:
“There’s really nothing more to say. I can only shout: ‘Da Silva!’ Ever since his first training session with the U-21 team, 3 years ago, AljoÅ¡a (Asanović) and I have said he is one of the best strikers in the world. I really think that today he is. He is a miracle. He is not just a goal-machine His every touch with the ball, every turn, every run, everything he does is special. He really is a miracle.”
Eduardo himself revelled in the adulation, stating:
“It was wonderful – the fans were great. I felt like I was at home… like I never left… like I was still at Dinamo.”
Not that he is pining for his adopted homeland. Indeed, he is settling well in England, and this week will move into a Hertfordshire home close to our London Colney training ground.
“We are a young team, and we have an excellent atmosphere in the squad. They welcomed me well and we get on superbly inside and outside the dressing-room. I don’t have trouble with driving on the left side and having the wheel on the right side. My car has an automatic gear-shifter and I have GPS navigation!”
The speed at which he has settled in is reflected in the warm congratulations he receieved from team-mates for his weekend brace:
“After the game (Croatia-Estonia) Sagna immediately called me and congratulated me. Denilson and Gilberto congratulated me via SMS.”
His friendship with the Brazilians comes as no surprise, but it seems he and Sagna have struck up a bond after arriving at the club within a week or so of each other. All Summer Arsenal were closely linked with a move for another Zagreb star, Luka Modric, and it was he who combined with Eduardo for the striker’s second:
“Those shots after pull-backs, like the one for the second goal – we practise that all the time. I knew Luka would pass the ball back to me.”
Perhaps it’s that telepathic understanding that Arsene Wenger wants to bring to Arsenal. There’s every chance he’ll resurrect that move in January.
Tonight, Eduardo and Croatia take on Andorra. If he scores again tonight, he’ll return to Arsenal brimming with confidence, and ready to begin his assault on the Premier League.
—
I wouldn’t really describe Justin Hoyte as a “fan favourite”, but his recent quotes will go along way towards endearing him to the Arsenal faithful. Talking about the increased competition at right-back, he said:
“That’s how football is. It just makes me more determined to work hard and get my place in the side. I am going to fight and work hard. I want to be at Arsenal all my life.”
At a time when many English youngsters shirk the challenge of competition and seek immediate first-team football, his quotes are very refreshing.
Another young defender, new boy Havard Nordveit, has come in for some praise from Arsene Wenger:
“What I liked in this boy is his intelligence and his mental strength. He is very mature. In fact I have rarely seen a boy of his age so mature. Physically we need to get him up to the Premiership level, at the moment he is a bit behind. But technically and tactically he is already there. He is an intelligent boy with good vision. He has a good pass out from the back and he is strong too.”
It’s very similar to what we heard about Philippe Senderos when he joined the club. Nordveit has already been made Captain of the Reserves, highlighting his outstanding leadership qualities. If he keeps up the good work, he might make a Carling Cup appearance this season.
Finally, just days before his possible return to Arsenal action, Jens Lehmann is “injured”. Again. Funny that.
UPDATE: You wanted them, you got them. New comments.
 
Whatever Eduardo da Silva achieves during his career at Arsenal, it’s highly unlikely he’ll ever surpass the level of adulation he is currently the subject of in Croatia. After bagging 
